


A Dangerous Truth

by Lenny9987



Series: Lenny's Imagine Claire and Jamie Prompts [35]
Category: Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Book 2: Dragonfly in Amber
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-19 17:22:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11318109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lenny9987/pseuds/Lenny9987
Summary: Prompt: Yay it's open again! thank you! here is my prompt: can you please imagine Claire and Jamie finding out that le Comte is actually Fergus' father and deciding on what to do? thank you again!





	A Dangerous Truth

Claire heard the carriage arrive and rolled over in bed, half-awake to wait for Jamie to join her. She dozed for a few more minutes before raising her head and looking around for him. Sometimes he was quiet enough to slip in without her noticing, but with the heightened senses of pregnancy, she usually smelled him, especially when he’d been at the brothel with Charles; the combination of tobacco smoke, perfume, and wine had triggered her morning sickness on more than one occasion. 

But she didn’t smell him yet either. If he hadn’t come to bed yet, it meant he’d learned something significant and was mulling it over or discussing it with Murtagh. 

She slipped from the bed, the floor cool against her bare feet, then reached for her dressing gown just in case Murtagh was with him. 

Jamie was alone slouched in a high-backed chair near the fire, staring sightless into its depths; he didn’t make any movement to indicate he heard Claire come up behind him but he must have known because he didn’t flinch when she reached out to squeeze his shoulder. Instead, his hand came up to rest atop hers and gave a light squeeze of acknowledgement. 

“Come to bed?” she asked in a whisper. 

He shook his head then sat up straighter, looking away from the fire and at her, blinking, dazed. 

“What’s wrong? Is it something Charles––”

“No,” he interrupted with a weak smile of reassurance. “No it’s nothing to do wi’ Charles––thank God in Heaven.”

“Then what is it?”

“We were at Maison Elise and one of the lasses there… She mentioned their missing boy, Claudel.”

“Fergus? But why?” Claire took her hand back from Jamie’s shoulder and crossed her arms over her chest. Her belly protruded just far enough to serve as a small shelf on which to rest her forearms. 

“The lass only had rumors as to why Madam Elise might be lookin’ for him to come back––rumors to do wi’ his parentage.” 

The wary edge in Jamie’s voice sent a shiver through Claire. She reached for the footstool that matched Jamie’s chair and plopped down on it as comfortably as she could. 

“Let me guess, he’s the son of some aristocrat and she wants Fergus on hand as leverage so she can blackmail the man,” Claire guessed. 

A more genuine smile appeared briefly on Jamie’s face. “Tha’s what I suspect as well,” he nodded turning back to examine the flames in the hearth, his brow furrowing in contemplation once more. 

“But Madam Elise’s motives don’t change the fact that you now might know who Fergus’ father is,” Claire continued, her hand drifting to her swollen belly, “And you’re not sure what to tell Fergus…” She felt the child flutter lightly in her womb but the movement still didn’t register against her hand; soon though, Jamie would be able to feel it for himself. 

“Something of the sort. I dinna think the man would care did Madam Elise blackmail him or no. She may be too scairt of him to eve think of blackmailin’ him. I can say that I dinna think any  _ good _ can come of tellin’ wee Fergus or trying to bring the matter to his father’s attention… but that doesna mean Fergus doesna have the right to know and make the choice himself…”

“Who is it?” Claire finally asked. 

Jamie sighed deeply. “If the lass is to be believed… St. Germain.”

Claire felt her jaw go slack with shock.

“Aye, tha’ was my reaction too,” he told her.

“We can’t tell Fergus,” Claire insisted quickly. “It’s too dangerous. Besides,” she clutched at straws, “it’s only a bit of gossip, rumor.”

Jamie shrugged. “I’m no sayin’ we ought to let the lad approach the man… but does he no have a right to know? Even if it is just gossip?”

“Do you even know if he  _ wants _ to know?” Claire countered.

“Wouldn’t you?” he challenged back. 

“We need to take more time to think about this,” Claire said, rising and pacing. “There has to be a way to learn what Fergus knows––how he feels about learning such a truth––before we just spring it on him.”

“Aye, Sassenach,” Jamie groaned, pushing himself up out of his chair and crossing to stop her in her tracks by resting his hands on her shoulders. “It’s a matter requires more thought and a bit of sleep besides. I didna mean to burden ye wi’ such a thing.”

She rolled her eyes but rose up on her toes to press a light kiss to his lips. 

“Your shoulders bear more than enough burdens for one person. I can stand to share a little of that weight.”

“Thank ye,” he whispered before reaching out and lightly brushed his fingers down the slope of her growing belly.

The fluttering that followed was beginning to feel like more than just a familiar declaration of presence. Claire smiled confident that this child would know from the first who it was; that it would have both her and Jamie to guide it and help it grow. 

And whatever they decided to tell Fergus, he would have them too; he was no longer alone.


End file.
